The disclosure relates generally to equipment utilized and operations performed in conjunction with a subterranean well and, more particularly, to the application of flow control devices to manage fluid flow into and out of a tubular body.
Without limiting the scope of the disclosure, its background will be described with reference to producing fluid from a hydrocarbon bearing subterranean formation, as an example.
During the production of hydrocarbons from a subterranean well, it was desirable to substantially reduce or exclude the production of water produced from the well. For example, it is desirable for the fluid produced from the well to have a relatively high proportion of hydrocarbons, and a relatively low proportion of water. In some cases, it is also desirable to restrict the production of hydrocarbon gas from a well.
In addition, where fluid is produced from a long interval of a formation penetrated by a wellbore, it is known that balancing the production of fluid along the interval can lead to reduced water and gas “coning,” and more controlled conformance, thereby increasing the proportion and overall quantity of oil produced from the interval. Inflow control devices (ICDs) have been used in the past to restrict flow of produced fluid through the ICDs for this purpose of balancing production along an interval. For example, in a long horizontal wellbore, fluid flow near the “heel” of the wellbore may be more restricted as compared to fluid flow near a “toe” of the wellbore, to counteract a horizontal well's tendency to produce at a higher flow rate at the “heel” of the well as compared to the “toe.”